Shining Star
by newyork-stateofmind11
Summary: She throws the necklace away on a college trip. A two-shot. F/R.
1. Part I

**I'm baaaaack! :) Fanfiction is addicting. Okay. So, this thought popped into my head before Episode 21, "Funeral", which is why it is 100% angst. If you don't like angst, then this story really isn't for you, and I'd rather that you not read it than leave mean comments about the fact that it's agnsty Finchel. Okay? I _have_ written another part to go along with this, and if you guys enjoy the story I'll put it up. :)**

**Also, this story contains mini spoilers up to "Comeback".**

**I think that's all. It would mean the world to me if you reviewed. :)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**gleek1**

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><p>She throws the necklace away on a college trip.<p>

She, along with Kurt and Mercedes, had signed up for a hiking trip to Jasper, Canada. They're at the end of their hike when it happens.

Mercedes and Kurt are off discussing their latest fashion design project. She's standing on a wooden bridge, looking down at the clear glacier river. She tries to take the rare moment alone to reflect on her life so far, but as usual, her thoughts drift back to him.

Their first kiss.

Their first date.

Being dumped for Brittany and Santana.

Being serenaded with Jesse's Girl.

As each memory fills her mind, a tear falls, trailing down her cheek slowly and dropping into the river.

Their first "I love you".

Faithfully.

The amazing, golden summer between sophomore and junior year.

Being made fun of, by him of all people.

The constant fighting.

Finding out about his one night stand.

Cheating.

The break up.

Him getting back together with his bitch of an ex.

The star necklace.

The last tear disappears as quickly as the others, but for some reason the image of that necklace remains in her head. Her hands flit up to her neck, where the golden star rests and has since they won Nationals junior year.

Then, it had been a reminder of their love, their belief in each other. But now, all she felt was heartache and abandonment.

He had chosen Quinn over her. She had been second best, then and now. The necklace was supposed to symbolize their love, but now? Now all it stood for was the fact that he had moved on, away from her and into the arms of Quinn, while she was fighting to hold onto the past.

Unconsciously, her hand clenches around the necklace at the thought of his blonde-haired spouse.

And then suddenly, she yanks, the necklace snapping off with ease. She throws the necklace into the river, watching as it sinks to the bottom.

Kurt and Mercedes catch her just before she hits the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

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><p>A week and a half later he calls her and leaves a message on her answering machine.<p>

"Hey, it's uh… it's me, Finn. So, um, Quinn and I filed for divorce a couple of weeks ago and I- I just really need a friend right now. Could you meet me at the corner café you love, uh, tomorrow? Say, 7:00ish? And…. could… could you maybe wear the star necklace I gave you? For old times sake? So, uh, yah. Guess I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully." _Click_.

After much deliberation (and consultation with Kurt), she decides to go. They were once best friends, after all. And he clearly needs somebody to lean on.

The next night, she dresses simply, throwing on a black skirt and her cast t-shirt from "Spring Awakening". She's at the café at exactly 7:00, and finds him waiting inside, two coffees on the table. When he sees her, his grin is so wide she swears it must hurt. As she draws closer, it only takes him a second to notice that the star necklace no longer hangs around her neck, and his face falls visibly. She chooses to ignore it and instead tries to initiate a conversation, though it proves difficult seeing as they haven't seen each other in a year and a half.

They end up with awkward small talk, talking a bit about what their lives have been like- how she's doing at NYU, how the football season is going. They do end up talking a bit about his divorce, but when she tries to find out the reason behind it, all he says is "too many memories", and then he turns the conversation elsewhere.

She had just asked for the bill when he says what she's sure has been on his mind all night.

"So, uh, you didn't wear the necklace."

She inhales sharply, and he looks at her, studying her.

"No," she says softly. "I didn't."

"Why not?"

She smiles a little at how blunt he is, but her smile soon fades- he won't like what she says next.

"I- I threw it away," she confesses softly.

"But- why?" He asks, sounding hurt.

"Because-"

"I gave that to you when we were 16, Rachel. _16_. It symbolized our love! It showed how much I believed in you. And you just threw it away? Did I really mean that little to you, once you got to New York? Did all we shared just escape your memory?"

Her own temper flares up at his accusation. "No, Finn, it did not. In fact, that's why I threw it out. Because of the memories. You're right- it did symbolize our love; when we were 16. But as time wore on, and we drifted apart, it began to symbolize that you had left the past behind. It was a constant reminder that I wasn't good enough for you. You had moved on. And now? It symbolizes that I've moved on too."

With those final words, she flounces out of the coffee shop.


	2. Part II

**I am sooooo sorry for the delay. I was away on vacation and I didn't bring my laptop so I couldn't post. But, here it is- the second part of Shining Star. It would mean the world to me if you could review. **

**Enjoy!**

**gleek1**

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><p>They don't speak after that meeting. It almost feels like high school all over again; after their painful breakup, they had ignored each other for months. Only this time, there is no hope in her that they will reconcile and be together again. She meant what she said about moving on. Just the fact that he seems to think she will always be his fall back girl makes her angry enough to ignore the dull ache in her chest, the one that came as soon as she fully realized the consequences of her actions. She knows that there isn't any hope of them ever being friends again- they've shared too much in the past for that to work. So, she ignores him. Not that it's hard, seeing as she hasn't heard from him since that fateful night in the coffee shop. And whenever Kurt tries to get her to talk about it, she simply locks her lips together, shakes her head, and goes to do something else.<p>

After a while, she begins seeing other people. There's Ricky, who was the stage manager for _West Side Story_. Then she goes on a date with Tom, a guy she ran into at the book store. He seemed nice enough until he tried to have sex with her after their third date- she stopped seeing him after that. She dates several other people until she begins to feel that it's hopeless and that she'll never find anybody who's that perfect match for her (she chooses to ignore the little voice in her head telling her that it's Finn). She's decided to swear off boys for good, until she runs into _him_. Literally. She's at the library, getting her summer reading material, and he seems to appear out of nowhere. They collide in the middle of the History section and books go flying everywhere. He's cute and apologetic, repeating over and over that he's really too clumsy for his own good and that it was entirely his fault. She looks up from the mess on the floor and is shocked to see a pair of gorgeous green eyes lock with her brown ones. He asks to take her out for a cup of coffee to make up for his clumsiness, and she agrees.

His name is Daniel, she finds out. He's a freshman at NYU and he's majoring in filmmaking. He loves sports, particularly golf, and he can play the guitar _really_ well. His favourite colour is orange and he always wishes on 11:11. He's sweet and handsome and charming and gentle, and everything else she's ever looked for in a man, so 3 years later, when he proposes, she says yes without hesitation. And she's happier than she's been in a long time. Kurt and Mercedes squeal at the sight of the ring, and within the first 2 hours of being engaged, she's already being told to pick out a venue and get started on the music. Kurt declares himself honorary wedding planner, but she asks him, quietly, to please not tell Finn that she's engaged, not just yet. That is something that she needs to do herself.

She doesn't get around to telling him until the McKinley High Glee Club Reunion later that summer.

Daniel's gone off to find her something vegetarian to eat, and the blonde girl hanging off of Finn's arm- Lydia, she thinks she introduced herself as- is chatting animatedly with Santana and Quinn, completely ignoring Finn. She takes that as a sign from destiny and walks over to him. He acknowledges her with a slight nod of his head, and before she can stop them, the words come tumbling out of her mouth:

"I'm getting married, Finn."

His eyes seem to register on the ring on her left hand for the first time. She swears she sees a flash of pain in his eyes, but in the next instant, it's gone.

"Congratulations."

"I- I just thought you should hear it from me and not from anybody else…" she stammers.

"And, like I said, congratulations. He's a lucky guy. I'm sure you'll be very happy together," he replies.

"What about you, Finn? Anybody special in your life?" Her eyes flit over to Lydia, who is still talking with Santana about something or other.

He follows the direction of her gaze, and snorts. "You mean Lydia? She's nice enough, I guess, but not someone I can see myself marrying."

She raises an eyebrow. "And why not?"

He looks away. "Because…" _Because she's not you,_ he thinks to himself. But instead, he says, "I just don't picture myself waking up next to her every day. There's only one person I can think of waking up to each morning, but she's taken." The words are out before he can stop himself. His eyes widen with shock, and he watches her face carefully as first shock than recognition show on her face.

Fortunately, Daniel shows up at that exact moment, saving both of them further embarrassment, and hands Rachel her food. "Here you go, babe. I got you extra mayonnaise, just the way you like it."

She carefully avoids Finn's eyes as she takes the food."Thanks."

Watching them interact is too painful for Finn. "I, uh, I'm gonna go see what Lydia wants to drink. Congrats again on your engagement." He shakes Daniel's hand. "You're a lucky guy. Don't ever let her go. I made that mistake once. And now I'm paying the price." He hesitates a moment before giving Rachel a hug, and then he walks off, and he doesn't look back.

"Who was that?" Daniel asks, watching Finn's retreating figure with interest.

"Nobody. Just someone I was once close with," Rachel responds, taking a bite of her veggie burger.

And later that night, as she curls up into bed, Daniel by her side, she ignores the small hole in her chest that throbs painfully at the memories of Finn, the hole that she knows only he will ever be able to fill.

It's better this way.

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><p><strong>There it is. The angst monster inside of me just came out and wrote this two-shot, which I actually think is one of my best works.<strong>

**Not to be pushy or anything, but that reveiw button has been staring at you this whole time. ;)**

**Thanks again for reading!**

**gleek1**


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